The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) has observed that the activities of vigilante groups were fast making Ghana’s highly acclaimed democracy, as well as gains and strides made since 1992, a subject of mockery in the eyes of the international community.

It has, therefore, warned that it would urge its members not to vote for the two major political parties: the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) if they failed to disband all vigilante groups associated to them.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Accra Presbytery Conference of the Global Evangelical Church, General Secretary of the GPCC, Rev. Emmanuel Teimah Barrigah, said the rate at which those vigilante groups were springing up was very alarming and the wantonness of their actions was dreadful.

According to Rev. Barrigah, Ghana’s democracy was under serious threat by those vigilante groups and the earlier they were disbanded, the better it would be, especially as the country headed for Election 2020.

He described the activities of those criminal elements as a worrying phenomenon that has “gotten out of hand and stands to threaten our national security setup.”

Reject NPP, NDC

Rev. Barrigah indicated that the GPCC would encourage their members, who, according to him, constitute a little over 50 per cent of the Christian population, to reject the NPP and NDC at the polls if they failed to disband those groups before the 2020 election.

He was, however, quick to add that the GPCC would consider other options, one of which included a peaceful demonstration and if that failed to yield results, they would persuade their members to vote against the NPP and the NDC as a last resort.

This is not the first time the Council has condemned vigilante groups in the country. The GPCC earlier in February 2019, issued a three-month ultimatum to political parties to disband all vigilante groups or risk a nationwide peaceful demonstration.

For his part, the Accra Presbytery Chairman of the Global Evangelical Church, Rev. Mawuli Dzidula Agudogo, said the call was in the right direction.

He added that the activities of vigilante groups threatened the peace the country currently enjoyed.

Sanitation

Speaking on the issue of sanitation, Rev. Agudogo said no government could deal with sanitation challenges if Ghanaians did not develop an attitudinal change towards sanitation.

According to him, the citizenry must take responsibility of keeping a clean environment by disposing of their refuse at designated areas to eliminate the indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

It was very worrying and unacceptable, he added, for people to dispose of refuse anywhere without thinking about the environmental consequences.

Rev. Agudogo further charged pastors with the Accra Presbytery of the church to include sanitation in their messages to their congregants.

“Preach sanitation at all times and encourage your members to live exemplary lives by keeping the earth and the environment clean,” he stressed.